Back to newsletter list 25/12/2007 21:16:52 (UTC) Canada | World Briefs | Business News | Sports | Weather Headlines  - RCMP tops Newsmaker of the Year survey - Harper delivers annual holiday message - MacKay and Hillier visit troops in Afghanistan
OTTAWA: MOUNTIES TOP CONRAD BLACK IN CP VOTE The Canadian Press news agency has named the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as Canada's Newsmaker of the Year for 2007. The Mounties came out on top in the annual poll of newspaper editors and radio and television news directors. Voters gave a variety of reasons for their selection. Halifax Daily News editor Jack Romanelli says many of the stories about the RCMP shook the traditional view of the force as a symbol of national identity. They included the continuing fallout over the Maher Arar affair, new scrutiny from the Air India inquiry and the furore over the taser-related death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski. The Mounties, who drew 37 votes, edged convicted newspaper baron Conrad Black who came second with 27 votes. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was third with 15 votes. Others named in the poll with the votes they received were Robert Dziekanski (14), Maher Arar (8), Robert Pickton (8), Rick Hillier (5), Brian Mulroney (5), Karlheinz Schreiber (5), Mario Dumont (4), The Canadian Dollar (3), Myriam Bedard (1), Stephane Dion (1), Brad Wall (1), Dalton McGuinty (1) and Danny Williams (1). The Canadian Soldier topped the vote for 2006. CALGARY: PM HAILS CANADIAN GENEROSITY Prime Minister Stephen Harper calls Canada's mission in Afghanistan the purest expression of the country's spirit of generosity. In his annual holiday message, the prime minister said Canadian efforts to help the Afghan people and to rebuild their shattered country embody what it means to give to people less fortunate than Canadians. Mr. Harper said the Christmas season is a wonderful time to be with loved ones, celebrate faith and reflect on the good fortune of living in the greatest country in the world. Looking back, Mr. Harper said 2007 was a great year for Canada. The prime minister pointed to the future, noting some important milestones in Canadian history to come in the new year. In 2008, Nova Scotia marks its 250th anniversary and British Columbia will celebrate its 150th anniversary. Quebec City will mark the 400th anniversary of its founding by Samuel de Champlain. KANDAHAR: MacKAY SPENDS CHRISTMAS WITH TROOPS Defence Minister Peter Mackay is in Afghanistan. He arrived at the Canadian base in Kandahar on Christmas Eve with the chief of the defence staff, General Rick Hillier. The two are visiting Canadian soldiers who live and work at Forward Operating Bases in the volatile Panjywai and Zhari districts, west of Kandahar. On Tuesday Mr. MacKay and Gen. Hillier served Christmas dinner to about 900 Canadian troops at the Kandahar airfield. Mr. Mackay said he came to Afghanistan to demonstrate the support he says all Canadians feel for troops operating there. On other matters, Mr. MacKay said weapons are flowing from Iran into the hands of Afghan insurgents. He said improvised explosive devices from Iran have been a particular concern for Canadians. Most of Canada's 73 combat deaths have been the result of IEDs. He said it's been difficult for Canada to address the issue though he has made his concerns known to the Iranian government. Mr. MacKay said it's difficult to cut the lines of supply when you have people in other countries giving weapons to be used against Canadian and coalition forces. Canada has about 2,500 troops stationed in southern Kandahar province. OTTAWA: PETERSON HONOURED FOR GREATNESS Tributes are pouring in for Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson who died of kidney failure on Sunday at age 82. The Montreal-born Peterson is considered by most critics to be one of the greatest piano players of all time. Canada's heritage minister, Josee Verner, said Mr. Peterson was a respected citizen who remained proud of his ancestry. Canada's governor-general, Michaelle Jean, described Mr. Peterson as a "national treasure" while Canadian pianist Diana Krall said he was "the one she looked up to." In Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Mr. Peterson was a bright light of jazz. Known for his fast-playing virtuoso style, Mr. Peterson's six-decade career took him from the jazz clubs of Montreal to New York's Carnegie Hall and around the globe. He won eight Grammy awards, including the governor general's lifetime achievement award in 1997. He was also bestowed with the nation's highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada. In 2005 Canada Post marked his contribution to music with a 50-cent stamp.
IRAQ Police said a suicide car bomb exploded outside a residential complex in northern Iraq Tuesday, killing 22 people and injuring at least 80 others. The compound belongs to the state-run North Oil Company in Beiji, about 250 kilometres north of Baghdad. In Baqouba, 55 kilometres northeast of Baghdad, the US military said 10 people were killed and five people were wounded in a suicide bombing. TURKEY Turkish jets bombed northern Iraq again Tuesday. It was the latest in a string of attacks on Kurdish rebels in the region. An Iraqi Kurdish security official said no damages or casualties resulted from the bombing, which struck an area near the Turkish border which had been evacuated for several weeks. For more than a week, the Turkish military has conducted operations against separatist rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Ankara claims thousands of PKK militants use the Iraqi border region to mount attacks into Turkey and says it will continue to use force against them MIDDLE EAST Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have bogged down for a second time. The two sides met Monday in Jerusalem. The Palestinians ruled out addressing core issues until Israel agreed to stop building new settlements near Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet later this week to try to salvage the talks. They were launched during US-led international talks in Annapolis, Maryland last month. During that meeting the two sides set a goal of reaching a deal on Palestinian statehood deal before US President George W. Bush leaves office in January 2009. RUSSIA Russia said Tuesday it had successfully test-fired a new ballistic missile. The ministry of defence said the missile launch was carried out from a submarine in the northern Barents Sea. Officials said it hit its target on the Kamchatka peninsula minutes later. The ministry described the Sineva missile as a hybrid ballistic that in its final stages becomes a modified cruise missile. The launch was the second such test-firing in less than a week. CHINA China and India Tuesday ended joint military exercises, the first-ever between the two neighbours. The manoeuvres--aimed at destroying a terrorist cell along their common border --lasted five days and took place in southwest Yunnan province, near the Indian frontier. The deputy chief of India's Army Staff said the manoeuvres demonstrated both nations' resolve to fight terrorism. Lieut.-Gen. Susheel Gupta added that military ties between his country and China are an important aspect of diplomatic relations. The two nations fought a brief war 45 years ago over rival claims to Himalayan land that has yet to be resolved. THAILAND The ousted Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, said Tuesday he wants to return to Thailand in the next few weeks to prove his innocence. He said he does not plan to return to political office. Mr. Thaksin was deposed in a military coup in September 2006 and has been living in exile in London. Following the coup, corruption charges were filed against him. The pro-Thaksin People Power Party, or PPP, won a comfortable majority in elections last Sunday and is currently holding talks on forming a coalition government. ITALY Prosecutors in Italy have issued 140 arrest warrants in connection with an alleged conspiracy among South American dictatorships and military rulers in the 1970's and 1980's. The plot, known as Operation Condor, involved the co-ordinated hunting and killing of dissidents and left-wing opponents. Leaders and officials from six countries--Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru--are among those accused of a wide range of crimes, including kidnapping and murder. Italian law allows the country's judiciary to investigate the murder of Italian citizens abroad. The Italian investigation was launched following complaints by relatives of South American citizens of Italian origin who had disappeared. CUBA Communist party leaders are said to have thrown their support behind Fidel Castro's re-election to the country's legislature. Mr. Castro handed over power to his brother Raul in July 2006 before undergoing emergency intestinal surgery. Last week, the 81-year-old Mr. Castro suggested he would not cling to power forever, nor stand in the way of a younger generation. A seat in the legislature is the first step in a process that would allow him to retain his post atop the Council of State, Cuba's supreme governing body. Raul Castro says his brother is healthy enough to run for the National Assembly, adding that the president is exercising two hours daily and gaining weight lost during his illness. BETHLEHEM Christmas cheer returned to Bethlehem on Tuesday. Hundreds of Christian pilgrims celebrated Jesus's birth in the West Bank town where he was born. The atmosphere was made markedly cheerier by the renewal of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after years of bloody conflict, though those talks have bogged down. By midday, the ancient Church of the Nativity was packed with tourists waiting in line to see the grotto that marks the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Some of the tourists inside the church sported Santa hats, and one carried the national flag of Indonesia, a country whose population of 235 million is nearly 95 per cent Muslim. A group of Catholics from around the world gathered outside the church, singing Christmas songs in different languages, to the accompaniment of guitars and drums. Vendors mingling with the crowd in Manger Square hawked rosaries, handcrafted bags, popcorn, steamed corn and Turkish coffee. According to Israeli border police 22,000 tourists had crossed into Bethlehem by midday, including about 7,000 Israeli Arabs. VATICAN Pope Benedict Tuesday called on Christians to spread their faith. The pontiff, speaking to the faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Square, referred to guidelines issued earlier this month by the Vatican on the missionary policy of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope, during the traditional Sunday noon Angelus prayer on the last Advent Sunday before Christmas, also anticipated "the joy of Christmas." He said it fills believers with a hope that "pushes us to announce the presence of God." BRITAIN The Queen used her 50th televised Christmas message Tuesday to urge people to spare a thought for the vulnerable and disadvantaged living on the edge of society. She urged everyone to share in the responsibility for the well-being of those who feel excluded. Elizabeth, who at age 81, last week became Britain's oldest-ever reigning monarch, said family values are as important today as they ever were. The Queen keeping with tradition, attended a church service Tuesday with members of her close family at St. Mary Magdalene Church, near her country home in Sandringham, Norfolk. Flanked by granddaughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, daughters of her son Prince Andrew, the Queen was greeted by around 600 well-wishers before the service. The Queen, who is head of Britain's armed forces, also used her speech to pay tribute to British military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and their fallen comrades.
FORT McMURRAY: PIPELINE OPERATOR UNDAUNTED A pipeline operator remains undaunted by labour and other political groups opposed to its project to ship unprocessed bitumen from Alberta's oilsands to the United States. TransCanada (TSX:TRP) spokesperson Shela Shapiro said the company is committed to the Keystone pipeline project, noting it wouldn't build the pipeline if there wasn't any demand for it. In October the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union filed an application asking the federal cabinet to reject the National Energy Board's approval of the Keystone application. The union wants the issue brought before the Standing Committee on Natural Resources for hearings on the impact of exporting Canada's unprocessed energy resources. The Alberta Ned Democratic Party has also proposed a private members bill seeking to restrict bitumen exports to the US. Ms. Shapiro said TransCanada is anticipating the Final Environmental Impact Assessment from the US to come in either by the end of this year or early next year.
WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS Canada's quest for a fourth straight gold medal at the world junior hockey championships begins Wednesday. The Canadian team practised Tuesday in preparation for their opening game Wednesday against host Czech Republic. Coach Craig Hartsburg says Jonathan Bernier will start in goal. SPENGLER CUP Canada is getting ready for the start of the Spengler Cup in Switzerland. The Canadian team opens that tournament Wednesday against the Czech club team from Pardubice. Goaltender Curtis Joseph is part of the Canadian team, which is made up mainly of Canadians playing in Europe.
Weather On Wednesday: British Columbia has a chance of rain, showers or flurries in the south, a chance of flurries in the northwest and a mix of sun and cloud in the northeast. The forecast high temperature in Vancouver: six degrees Celsius. Alberta has a mix of sun and cloud. Saskatchewan has a mix of sun and cloud in the south and cloud in the north. Manitoba is mainly sunny. Highs: minus-two in Calgary, minus-seven in Regina, minus-20 in Winnipeg. Ontario is sunny in the west with a mix of sun and cloud in central regions and cloud in the east. Quebec is cloudy in the south with a chance of flurries in the north. Highs: three in Toronto, one in Ottawa, two in Montreal. New Brunswick has a mix of sun and cloud. Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia are sunny. Newfoundland and Labrador is cloudy. Highs: three in Fredericton, two in Charlottetown, four in Halifax, one in St. John's. Yukon is sunny in the south with a chance of flurries in the north. The Northwest Territories are sunny. Nunavut has a chance of flurries in the south and clear skies in the north. Highs: minus-12 in Whitehorse, minus-23 in Yellowknife, minus-20 in Iqaluit.
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